Meet the Family
by ParchmentandQuill8
Summary: In this three-part sequel to my fic Unconventional, Sara and Leonard introduce each other, and their rescued daughter Elsie to their loved ones.
1. Chapter 1

"I think it would probably be best if I went first," Sara said, and Leonard could see the nervousness on his wife's face.

"If that's what you need to do," he nodded.

"Just give me five minutes, then he'll probably be fine."

Sara and Leonard were standing outside the coffee shop, CC Jitters. Beside them, holding tightly onto Leonard hand, was Elsie, their three year old daughter they had rescued from Norway nearly five months ago. Rip had granted the team shore leave for the day, and they'd all decided to spend it in present day Central City. Sara realized that not only had she never had the opportunity to tell her family about Leonard, but Elsie had also come into her life since she'd joined Rip Hunter's mission. She hadn't seen any of her family since she joined, and now it had been a few years, she'd gotten married, she'd adopted a kid, and her family deserved an explanation.

Leonard had infatuated Dinah Lance and Elsie had done the same to Laurel, and now it was time for them to meet Quentin.

Sara was probably most nervous for her family to meet her father. She knew he'd probably be okay eventually, but she also knew that while Sara had been away for nearly four years, they'd returned to July 2016, mere months after the day they'd left. It would be difficult to bridge that gap for her father.

"Can you wish Mom good luck?" Leonard murmured to Elsie.

"Good luck Mommy," Elsie repeated with a big smile. It was clear she had no idea what was happening.

"Thank you, bear," Sara said, running a hand over Elsie's blonde hair, "I'll see you in a few minutes."

Sara took a deep breath and walked towards the coffee shop. Just before the door, she stopped and glanced back. She saw that Leonard was following Elsie as she ran towards a fountain in the small plaza that neighbored the coffee shop. A bell jangled as Sara opened the door to Jitters and again as it swung shut behind her. She looked around for her father.

She found Quentin Lance sitting in a booth towards the center of the coffee shop.

"Hi Dad," Sara said as she approached the booth.

"Hey baby," Quentin stood up, "Long time no see."

"You have no idea," she replied as she hugged her father.

They both sat down, Sara across the table from her father.

"Your call sorta came out of nowhere after the silent treatment you've been giving me over the past few months."

"Yeah, sorry about that," Sara cringed, "But it hasn't _exactly_ been a few months."

"What the hell's that supposed to mean?"

"Did Laurel tell you anything about what I've been doing?"

"No," Quentin said with furrowed eyebrows.

"I've been time traveling," Sara said, knowing that it would be a waste of time to beat around the bush. With her father, it was best to be straight to the point.

"Time traveling?" he repeated.

"Yeah," Sara nodded, "It's been almost four years."

"Four years?" Quentin exclaimed, his eyes widening, "What are you talkin' about?"

"The mission I was on?" Sara started again, "It wasn't exactly a normal mission."

"Are they ever?"

"Point taken." Sara relaxed slightly, rolling her eyes, "Anyway, I've kind of spent the past four years time traveling."

"Time traveling? Like in _Star Wars_?"

"I don't think anybody time traveled in _Star Wars_ , dad."

"What movie am I thinking of, then?"

"I dunno, _Back to the Future_?"

"That sounds right," Quentin nodded before quickly shaking his head, "Wait, we're talking about time travel like it's actually possible. It _can't_ be possible."

"That's what I said at the beginning," Sara shrugged, "But I guess anything's possible."

"But why?"

"Why time travel?" Sara asked. Quentin nodded, "We're trying to save the world."

"There're other people with you? You're not doing this alone, right?"

"No, I'm not, dad," she replied, "There's a whole team of us — Ray Palmer, for one. You know know Ray."

"I thought Ray Palmer was dead."

"So was I," she shrugged. Quentin was silent for a while, and Sara could practically see the cogs turning in his head.

"So this is really happening," he finally asked.

"Yeah," she nodded.

"So you, what, poof and you're in a completely different year."

"Different year, different place," she affirmed, "We do it all."

"Where've you been?"

"Soviet Russia, Oregon 1958, Star City 2046 — that wasn't pretty — Ancient Greece, just to name a few. All sorts of places."

"Sounds interesting," Quentin said. "So is the mission over? Are you back in the time, uh…now…for good?"

"No, we're just taking a few days off," Sara replied, "and I wanted to see you and Laurel and Mom. It's been a while. I missed you."

"Well, I know it's been only a few months for me, but if it makes any difference, I've missed you too."

"Thanks dad," Sara smiled. She glanced at a clock on the brick wall of the coffee shop and felt an anxious pulse in her chest. She only had a minute left to break the news to her father.

"So," he said with an exhale, "Saving the world."

"Yeah," Sara nodded.

"Is someone really so bad that they deserve to be chased through time?"

"If you're an immortal psychopath, you do."

"Jesus Christ."

"No kidding."

"You're keeping safe, right?" he asked somewhat nervously, "You're not doing anything that could get yourself killed, right?"

"I'm being very careful, Dad," Sara replied with a smirk that seemed to contradict what she'd said. Quentin raised his eyebrows, knowing that both of his daughters were hopeless cases.

"So," Quentin exhaled, leaning back in his seat, "Four years. What's been going on with you — besides the mission anyway."

"Actually, I'm glad you brought that up," Sara said, grateful for the natural segue. She hadn't been sure how to bring the topic of her family up, "I sort of…well…I got married while I was away."

"What!" Quentin exclaimed incredulously, shooting up in his seat. Sara winced and glanced anxiously around as a few other customers in Jitters looked over to them, "You got married? How long ago? Who? Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"I wanted to tell you, daddy, but I couldn't," Sara protested, interrupting his barrage of questions, "I couldn't just abandon the mission, you know that!"

"I just can't believe you went on a time-travel-world-rescue mission and got married! What's next, you're gonna tell me you had a kid or somethin'?"

"Well…"

The bell above the door jangled as someone entered the coffee shop. Sara looked towards the noise to see Leonard in the doorway, holding onto Elsie's hand. He glanced around the room, searching for his wife. When he found her, their eyes met. He raised his eyebrows, silently questioning if he could come over. Sara nodded once and Leonard started towards the table, picking up Elsie so he could better maneuver the tables and chairs of the coffee shop.

Quentin noticed his daughter's gesture. He narrowed his eyes and turned in the direction Sara was looking. He instantly saw Leonard and Elsie.

"That's Leonard Snart. He's wanted in about a dozen cities," Quentin said slowly, gripping the edge of the table, "And he's got a kid."

"Sorry," Sara winced. By now, they'd reached their table.

"Mommy!" Elsie stretched her arms towards her mother.

"Hi bear," Sara said, pressing a kiss onto the top of Elsie's head as she took her from Leonard.

"Hope we're not too late," Leonard said, giving Sara a knowing look as he slid into the booth next to his wife. "We were right behind you and then this one…" he paused to run a hand over Elsie's hair, "got a bit distracted by the ducks in that fountain. I hope we didn't miss too much."

"Nope, you're right on time," Sara replied, "We were just talking about you."

"Sara?" Quentin said with a perplexed expression on his face as he looked from Leonard to Elsie and back to Sara, "What's going on?"

"Dad, this is my husband Leonard and my daughter, Elsie."

Quentin was very still. His mouth was slightly open and he appeared to be in a state of shock.

"You okay, Dad?" Sara asked tentatively.

"I-I-I just can't believe you have a…a kid. I mean last time I checked, _you_ were a kid," Quentin stuttered, seeming a bit out of breath, "Now you-you've got one of your own. And…and she's so beautiful and I'm so proud of you, honey, but, you know, it's just a lot to take in."

"Sorry," Sara apologized again.

"No, you don't gotta apologize, honey," he shook his head, "You didn't do anything wrong. I just wish you'd 'a told me sooner. I mean, she's — what —three years old now? It's kinda weird to think you had a kid for that long and didn't tell me. Unless you thought I'd be mad," Quentin suddenly looked a bit panicked, "I wouldn't 'a been mad, honey."

"Dad," Sara interrupted him, "Relax. We adopted her. Of course I would have come home if I was actually having a baby, are you crazy?"

"You adopted her?"

"Yeah. We were on a mission in Norway during World War Two when we found her. Her whole family had just been executed by Nazi soldiers and she was living on the streets, so we took her back to the timeship with us to get her checked out and make sure she was okay. Then we decided that she should just stay with us."

"You rescued her?" Quentin's face softened.

"Yeah," Sara replied.

"That's really nice."

"Thanks, Dad," she replied, looking down at her daughter, "Can you say hi, Elsie-bear?"

"Hi," Elsie said bashfully.

"Do you remember when I showed you a picture of him this morning?" Sara asked, gesturing towards Quentin.

Elsie nodded.

"This is my dad. You know what that means? He's your grandpa!"

In unison, both Elsie and Quentin smiled. Sara knew that after what happened to Elsie's mother and father and siblings in Norway, she would be excited any time she got to meet someone she could consider family, and all Quentin ever wanted for his daughters was happiness, and if her family was making Sara happy, then he was fine with it.

"Your name's Elsie?" Quentin said, leaning towards the little girl.

"Uh-huh — well my real name's Elisabeth, but everyone calls me Elsie 'cause it's easier to say," she nodded matter-of-factly.

"Huh," Quentin smiled at her forwardness, "And how old are you, Elsie?"

"Three," Elsie replied, holding up four fingers. Sara reached forwards and folded down her pinky.

"Are you having fun time traveling?"

Elsie nodded enthusiastically, dropping her hand into her lap, "When I'm turning four, Mommy and Daddy said they'd take me wherever I want."

"Within reason," Leonard cut in.

"I wanna go to Mount Vesuvius while it's still erupting," Elsie said, stumbling over the Greek word.

"That's not exactly within reason," Leonard raised his eyebrows.

Quentin turned to Sara "Did she already meet your mother and your sister?"

"Yes she did," Sara nodded, "We just came from mom's house."

"How'd they take it?"

"Better than you," she snorted.

"And what about him?" Quentin tipped his head in Leonard's direction, crossing his arms. Sara could see in his eyes that he recognized him, but beyond the recognition, she saw apprehension (which she supposed was better than anger).

"What about him?" Sara asked.

"He met Laurel and your mom?"

"He did."

"And?"

"And what?" Sara asked, "What do you want me to say? I'm not going to say they didn't like him or that they were mad just because it fits your narrative, because they weren't.

"Y'know, I have a hard time believing that," he replied, looking straight into Leonard's eyes, "I know your career history, I know you've been incarcerated more times than I could count—"

"Daddy," Elsie whispered, pulling on Leonard's sleeve, "What's incarcerated?"

"Nothing, bear, don't worry about it," Sara assured her before Leonard could say anything. She turned back to Quentin, anger in her eyes, "Dad, could you _try_ to contain yourself around Elsie?"

Quentin took a deep breath, letting it out again just as slowly.

"I'm sorry Sara," he began, and Sara was surprised to see that he actually looked remorseful, "I just wasn't expecting you to be with someone like Snart."

"His name is _Leonard_ ," Sara said emphatically, "And let's just take a second to go over the other people I've been with. First of all, Oliver. _Twice._ He's the reason you thought I was dead for half a decade and the pretty much the reason I _actually_ died. He's the Green Arrow. He kills people and you can say all you want that it's for the greater good, but it's still murder. Second, Nyssa. She kills people too. She's the leader of the League of Assassins. She threatened to kill Mom and tried to kill Laurel. All Len has done is try to steal things."

"What do you mean _try_ ," Leonard asked with a look of dismay on his face. Sara ignored him.

"He's also been helping me save the world, Dad."

"Mommy," Elsie whispered, "does Grandpa not like Daddy?"

"No!" Quentin replied hurriedly, "Nothing like that, honey. I'm just having a tough time understanding everything, is all. The last time I saw your mom, she wasn't married and she didn't have you."

"Oh," she replied. She looked up at the ceiling in thought and then met Quentin's eyes again, "But why d'you hafta understand? We're here."

Quentin raised his eyebrows and sat up a bit straighter.

"I guess you're right," Quentin said, his head tipped to the side in consideration, "You know, you're very smart."

Elsie giggled, her mouth spreading into a wide smile.

"I know my whole ABC's!" she said proudly.

"Not to mention she's fluent in English and Norwegian," Leonard added, "although she came to us like that."

"Do you remember Norway," Quentin asked Elsie. She nodded.

"We're making sure she doesn't forget." Sara told him, "We try to visit whenever we can."

"You should try to stop around these parts too."

"I mean to dad, I swear. Things just get busy."

"I know it does, honey," Quentin nodded, "and I'm so proud of you, I really am, but I just found out ten minutes ago that you have a kid and a…a husband. When am I supposed to get to know them with you galavanting across space and time?"

"I'm sorry," Sara said, feeling as if she was on trial for a crime she didn't mean to commit, "but you know how I am. I can't just let this go. I have to help people who need it."

"I know, but that doesn't make your family any less important," Quentin said somberly. He turned to Leonard, "You got one that could back me up on this?"

"You're looking at it,"Leonard replied, and Quentin's face softened slightly, "You're a cop. I'm sure you're aware of my family situation."

"He's got a sister here in Central City too." Sara added, "We're visiting her tomorrow."

"Does she know about Elsie?" he asked.

"She doesn't even know about me," Sara shrugged, "Like I said, it's been a while since we were back here."

"So how long _are_ you…" Quentin hesitated, "…three gonna be back?"

"We take off tomorrow night," Sara replied.

"And you'll be time traveling again?"

She nodded.

"I really wish you didn't have to leave so soon."

"I know dad," Sara said, smiling sadly, "But you know I can't walk away from people who need help. You taught me that."

"Yeah, well I didn't exactly mean for you to become a time traveling vigilante."

"Hey, go big or go home," Sara shrugged, "and speaking of home, I think it's time we head out."

"So soon?" Quentin asked.

Sara nodded, "Our captain wants us all back and accounted for as soon as possible ever since we crashed the royal wedding."

"When will you be back?" he asked, looking crestfallen.

"I don't know dad. Soon, I promise."

"Don't be a stranger, okay? You're like me; you have a hard time stepping away from people you think need help, but trust me, sometimes you can let your family be more important. Don't forget that."

"Don't worry dad. I won't."


	2. Chapter 2

Laurel was already at Dinah Lance's house when Sara, Leonard, and Elsie arrived. Her car, the same car she'd had for over a decade was in the driveway. She'd driven her first car — a hand-me-down sixteenth birthday gift from her father that was nearly as old as he was — until she was twenty three and the motor was shot and the brakes were broken beyond fixing. Sara had helped her pick out the new one and now it was old and stalled every once in a while, but she'd probably never get a new one.

After returning from the League the first time around, there was something about that car that seemed like a refuge to Sara. It seemed kind of stupid in retrospect, but so much had changed when she returned to Starling City, and the car being exactly the same as it was when she left was extremely comforting.

"You okay?" Leonard nudged her arm, pulling her out of her train of thought. He had already taken Elsie out of her carseat and was holding her in his arms.

"Yeah," Sara nodded, "It's just weird to be home."

They walked up the driveway to the front porch. Sara rang the doorbell.

"C'mon in, Sara!" they heard Dinah yell, "It's open!"

Sara led Leonard and Elsie into the house.

"Hi Mom," Sara called, taking off her coat and hanging it with the others in the closet off the entry way. She could hear her mother and sister in the living room, "Hey Laurel. I've got a couple people I want you to meet."

"Well bring them in, honey!" Dinah said.

Leonard followed with Elsie as Sara walked into the living room.

"Len, this is my mom, Dinah and my sister, Laurel," Sara began, feeling a nervousness she hadn't felt in a long time. Not much of her relationship with Leonard had ever been conventional by any means. They'd started dating after she'd punched him for almost dying during a battle. He'd proposed to her out on the field as he'd shot three people with his cold gun. They'd demanded Rip use his powers as captain of a ship to marry them (there hadn't even been any sort of ceremony or vows, and neither of them were upset about it). They had a kid now because they'd removed her from the timeline and were raising her eighty years after her original era. Nothing was _normal_. This whole family-introductions thing was the most real-life this had ever been, "Mom, Laurel, this is my husband, Leonard."

She saw Dinah's eyes widen slightly, but she quickly recovered.

"Nice to meet you," she said. She placed her steaming cup of tea on the coffee table and stood to approach them. Sara could see that she was trying to appear unfazed, and she was doing a fairly good job. What did worry Sara, however, was Laurel. Her eyes were narrowed, flooded with recognition. She recognized Leonard and she wasn't happy.

"Who's this little cutie?" Dinah said after shaking Leonard's hand, smiling at Elsie who bashfully buried her face in Leonard's neck.

"This is our daughter," Sara said. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Laurel's mouth drop open, but she recovered quickly, pursing her lips and assuming an air of indifference, "Her name's Elsie."

"Oh my god, honey!" Dinah cried, pulling her daughter into a bone-crushing hug, "I can't believe you had a baby!"

"Mom!" Sara exclaimed, relinquishing herself from her grip.

"You look great!" she continued, stepping back to look over her daughter's slim figure, not hearing Sara's protests, "You know, after I had you, I—"

"Mom!" Sara repeated even louder, "Oh my god please stop."

"Why? Can't a mother bond with her daughter over the joys of child-bi—"

"Oh my god, no! No you can't. Mom, we _adopted_ her — you saw me, like, six months ago. You really believe I could have a three-year-old child?"

"Well, we spent five years thinking you were dead," Laurel commented drily from across the room, "After that, hiding a kid from us doesn't really seem like a stretch."

"Wait," Dinah said, shaking her head, "Explain."

"A few years ago, I joined a mission — so did Len. That's how we met. We travel around the world and help people in danger."

"And you decided that's a good time to get married?" Laurel interrupted, skepticism and doubt written all over her face.

"Stuff happens," Sara shrugged, "We shouldn't let saving the world get in the way of living our lives."

"But at what point did you adopt her?" Dinah asked, gesturing to Elsie, "Where did she come from?"

"We were on a mission in Norway and we found her. She didn't have any family, so we just, kind of, took her."

"That's so sweet!" Dinah said.

"That sounds an awful lot like kidnapping," Laurel simultaneously commented.

"Semantics," Sara shrugged.

"I dunno, Sara," she said, "It's kind of weird to just show up and say you're married with a kid. Back me up on this, mom."

But Dinah, so distracted by Elsie, was no longer paying attention to her eldest daughter.

"You're just the most precious little girl I've ever seen!" she cooed, taking Elsie from Leonard, "I'm gonna be the best grandma in the whole world!"

"Thanks, mom," Laurel sighed.

Dinah gently placed Elsie back on the ground.

"Why don't we sit down," she said, "We clearly have a lot to catch up on."

Dinah returned to the puffy armchair she'd been sitting in before they'd arrived. Sara and Leonard sat on the long couch across from her, Elsie climbing into Leonard's lap. Laurel had yet to move from the love seat where she sat with her legs curled under her.

"You said her name's Elsie?" Laurel asked, and Sara was glad to see her sister at least attempting civility.

"Yeah," Sara nodded.

"How old is she?"

"Three. She turns four in February."

"He's good to the two of you?" she nodded to Leonard.

"The best."

That was what Laurel needed to know. Sara saw her sister relax, acceptance in her eyes.

"Elsie," Sara whispered to her daughter, "Do you want to give her what you made yesterday."

Else nodded.

She crossed the room and bashfully held out to Laurel several pieces of bright construction paper that she'd been holding since the car.

Laurel flipped over the papers to see crayon drawings that had very clearly been drawn by Elsie herself.

"This is so pretty," Laurel said, looking over the papers.

"They're flowers," Sara supplied, knowing that the three year old's artwork was rather abstract, "I was telling her how laurels are a type of flower, so she drew flowers for you."

"Aww," she said, unable to contain a smile, "That's so sweet."  
"Elsie," Sara said, "do you remember what I said this morning? About how you're going to meet some of my family today?"

Elsie nodded.

"Well, these people are part of my family," Sara explained. She gestured at Dinah, "This is my mom, so that means she's your grandma."

Elsie's mouth spread into a smile.

"Laurel," Sara continued, gesturing in Laurel's direction, "is my sister, so she's your aunt."

Elsie's smile grew and that time, Laurel's joined her.

"Oh my god, Felicity's going to be so jealous," Laurel said, leaning towards Elsie.

"Else," Sara said, "Do you wanna go give Auntie Laurel a hug?"

Laurel held out her arms to Elsie, who immediately jumped into them

"C'mere," she said, "Why are you so cute!"

"I don't know," Elsie said, giggling.

"You okay?" Sara asked her sister, her expression serious, "You seemed a little off when we first got here."

"I was a little thrown off, I guess," Laurel shrugged, lifting Elsie into her lap, "When you first left, you weren't in the best place, and I know you've been away longer than I realize, but for me, it's only been a few months and suddenly you come home with a husband and a kid, and it's hard to not be," she hesitated, "concerned. I worried that he—anybody — might have tried to take advantage of your iffy emotional state."

"You don't have to be," Sara said.

"I know that now," Laurel nodded, "I haven't seen you look this happy since…I dunno when — maybe even before the Gambit. If Leonard is who's making you happy, then I have nothing to complain about.

"Thanks Laurel," Sara said with a soft smile.

* * *

Later, while Laurel was still in the living room taking selfies with Elsie (and inevitably sending them to the Green Arrow and the rest of his team), Dinah, Leonard, and Sara were talking in the kitchen. Sara's mother had been so caught up in the excitement of Elsie that she had nearly forgotten that her daughter had gotten _married_.

That had been Sara's plan. She'd hope that the surprise of Elsie would distract from the surprise of Leonard. She'd been right for the most part, but it didn't take long for Dinah to turn her attention to Sara's husband.

"So," Dinah said, leaning against the kitchen counter, "Leonard, how'd you meet my daughter."

"Like she said, we're on the same mission. We met when our cap-leader" he glanced sideways at Sara, not knowing how much her mother had previously been told about the subject of their missions, "first brought us all together. I don't think she liked me very much at first."

"I didn't," Sara said, just as her mother said,

"Well, I can hardly believe that," Dinah said, raising her eyebrows suggestively at her daughter.

"Mom," Sara said, shaking her head in exasperation.

"All I'm saying is that you've got quite a catch, Sara," Dinah replied, defensively putting her hands up.

"I know, Mom," Sara said.

Elsie appeared at Leonard's side, tugging on his sleeve.

"Daddy," she said urgently, "Auntie Laurel can draw flowers. Come see!"

Leonard, unable to say no to his daughter, smiled apologetically at Sara and Dinah.

"I'm being summoned," Leonard said, as he allowed his daughter to lead him out of the room. Then Sara and Dinah were alone

"So," Sara said, "What d'you think?"

"Well, first of all, Elsie is the cutest kid I've ever seen in my life," Dinah began.

"What about Len?" she asked, her face hopeful.

Her mother didn't answer for a moment, instead studying Sara's face.

"C'mon," Dinah said, "Ask me what you've been wanting to ask since you got here."

Sara let out a sigh.

"Did you already know who he was?" she asked nervously.

"Of course I did, honey," Dinah said, smiling in a knowing way that told Sara she was not surprised by her question, "Your father is a cop after all."

"Why didn't you say anything?" Sara asked, not sure whether or not to feel relieved.

"Because why should I?" Dinah said, "I trust your judge of character and he clearly adores both you and your daughter."

"It really doesn't bother you that he was a criminal?" Sara asked hopefully.

"Honey, is that why you waited so long to tell us?" Dinah asked, her eyes widening slightly, "You shouldn't ever feel that you can't introduce us to someone you love, Sara."

Sara visibly relaxed.

"Thanks mom," she said gratefully.

"I take it you're introducing them to your father while you're here," Dinah said.

"Yeah, later today, Sara nodded, "and Len's sister tomorrow."

"And then you're leaving again," Dinah concluded. Sara nodded once again, "Well, I wish you good luck. I can tell you're doing what you love with who you love and that's what's important."

Sara stepped forwards to hug her mother.

"I'm so proud of you," Dinah said, reciprocating the hug, "Now, I'm not entirely sure what it is you do exactly, but I'm proud of you all the same."

"Thanks mom," Sara replied, stepping away. Dinah noticed her daughter glance towards the clock above the stove.

"You have to go, don't you?"

Sara nodded, "We're meeting dad at Jitters in an hour."

"Well, good luck," Dinah said, "he might need a little bit more time with… this…than I did."

"That's what I was afraid of," Sara said with a sigh.

They headed back into the living room, where they saw Elsie and Laurel sitting at the coffee table. Elsie was holding a purple crayon to a piece of paper and was tracing a large flower. Laurel was watching, sitting crosslegged on the rug next to her, and Leonard was observing from the couch, sitting just behind Elsie.

"Ready to head out?" Sara asked him, "We've got about a half hour to get into the city to meet my dad."

Leonard nodded, standing up.

"Ready, Elsie-bear?" Sara said, ducking into the foyer to grab their coats before returning to the living room. She held out Elsie's tiny purple jacket and helped her into it, lifting her up after it had been zipped.

"You're leaving?" Laurel asked, getting to her feet.

"Yeah," Sara replied, "We're meeting dad soon so I can put myself through this experience a second time."

"He doesn't know yet?" she questioned, tipping her head towards Elsie and Leonard.

Sara shook her head, "I made sure to tell you first."

"What about Ollie and all them? They have to know at some point."

"Am I supposed to pretend you haven't already told them?" Sara smirked.

"I'd appreciate it," Laurel laughed.

"You're going to be back soon, right," Dinah said somewhat nervously, "I mean, I was worried enough when it was only you, but now I have to worry about three times as many people. You can't just disappear again, honey."

"Don't worry, I won't let her," Laurel said, reaching out to take Elsie from her sister, "I will flag her timeship down if she tries to keep me from this one."

"Timeship?" Dinah asked, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

"Don't worry about it," Sara answered her mother, waving her hand flippantly, "I can't promise anything Laurel. We don't decide when we get shore leave, our captain does.

"I mean, we could always just go on strike," Leonard said, turning to Sara, "What do you think? Would Rip go for it?"

"Not when it's just the two of us," she shook her head, "We'd need more of the team on our side. Mick would help — and Jax too, probably. He likes to visit his mom. What about Ray?"

"Pretty-boy would never go against Rip," Leonard shook his head.

"I'm sorry," Dinah said, blinking, "I'm not really sure what's happening? Are you planning a siege in my living room."

"Oh my god," Laurel said, "Marriage goals."

"My point," Sara said, "is that I don't know how often we'll get time off, but I promise when we do that we'll visit. I want both of you to be in Elsie's life."

"I do too," Laurel said, hugging Elsie tighter, so their cheeks were pressed together.

"We gotta go, Laurel," Sara said, "You gotta give me my kid back."

Laurel reluctantly passed Elsie back to Sara.

"Keep practicing those flowers, okay?" Laurel said to Elsie, running a hand over the little girl's blonde hair, "You can show me how much better they got the next time I see you."

Elsie nodded.

"And you," Laurel turned to Leonard, "if anything happens to either of them, you're gonna have to answer to me."

"I don't doubt that," Leonard smirked.

Laurel then stepped towards Sara, giving her a one armed hug around Elsie.

"Don't give him a reason to answer to me," Laurel whispered into her hair.

"I won't," Sara whispered back.

"I love you, Sara."

"I love you too, Laurel."

A few minutes later, as Sara, Leonard, and Elsie walked back down the driveway, Sara's phone vibrated. She pulled it out of her pocket to see a text from Oliver.

 _Can you explain the photos I just got of Laurel and her "niece"?_


	3. Chapter 3

"Lisa will be here in a few minutes," Leonard said, relaying the message his sister had just texted him, "She's pulling into the parking lot."

Sara nodded.

"You nervous?" he asked.

"Were _you_ nervous when you met my sister?" Sara countered.

"A bit," he confessed, "More about your dad, I think."

Leonard, Sara, and Elsie were sitting at a table in the middle of a restaurant in downtown Central City. It was their last day of shore leave and it was finally time for Sara and Elsie to meet the only member of Leonard's family he would care to introduce them to: Lisa.

Leonard had chosen a restaurant not just because he wasn't sure what the state of Lisa's house would be, given she'd been living in it alone for the past few months, but also because whenever the siblings' paths crossed (which was sporadic due to their individual jail times, time spent hiding out, cases, the works), Leonard would always buy his sister lunch. It was their tradition and it didn't have to change just because there'd be a couple extra people at the table.

Leonard knew now that, since the incident months ago (for Lisa, anyway) with the Flash, Lewis, and the bomb implanted in her neck, his sister had been on the straight and arrow. He asked Gideon for updates on her every now and then and, unless she'd done something and hidden it _really_ well, the AI had detected no changes in Lisa's criminal record.

Leonard knew that Lisa, on the other hand, had no idea what he had been up to since the last time she saw him — she even had no idea it had in fact been several _years_ for her brother. He figured she assumed he was off in another city working a particularly big case, or was on the run for a different crime he'd past committed. Whatever it was, it was vastly different from what she was going to find out in a few minutes.

Lisa was not as unsuspecting as Leonard thought. She had a funny feeling about the phone call she'd had with her brother.

Sure, she hadn't seen him in a few months, but that wasn't the strange part; in the business they dealt in, it wasn't unusual for either of them to sporadically fall off the map.

What _was_ weird was that he _called_ her. He never called, he would always just show up in all his snarky, sarcastic glory. There was never a schedule, never a warning, nothing was predictable, and that's how it went. Always.

That's why it was odd for Lisa to get a call from her brother inviting her to lunch at a local chain restaurant.

That was another unexpected difference. They never went to chain restaurants, usually because one or both of them was on the run. They usually patronized hole-in-the-wall joints — usually Saints and Sinners, but there were others. It was weird for Leonard to want to go someone so public, so open, so _normal_.

The most disconcerting change she noticed during her phone call with her brother was neither of those things. She could handle those things; they were minor changes, mere outliers in a series of probable events.

The thing that troubled Lisa was that Leonard _sounded_ different. Her brother, who had been exactly the same her entire life, had changed so drastically that she could hear it over the phone.

That's why she agreed to meet with her brother. She wanted to figure out what had happened to him.

Lisa couldn't find her brother when she first entered the restaurant. He wasn't at the bar, where she'd expected to find him. Then, her eyes passed over him several times as she scanned the tables. The truth was, she didn't really know where to look, not in a place like this. Looking around, she saw couples of various different ages and a few tables of friends, but mostly she saw families. Most tables had two parents and two kids, but there were some with more, a few with less.

Then she realized why she had missed him.

The mother at one of these tables glanced up from her toddler-aged daughter and saw her. She looked to the man sitting across the table from her and tipped her head in Lisa's direction. He turned and then Lisa was looking into the eyes of her brother.

He was sitting with his back to the door, but even now that she could see him, he was still damn near unrecognizable. He wasn't physically different, not really, it was just that he looked happy. Not happier. _Happy_.

Lisa warily approached the table and Leonard stood to hug his sister.

"Lisa," he said.

"Lenny," she replied. Lisa's eyes narrowed in confusion and suspicion as she glanced in the direction of the two other occupied chairs at the table. In one sat a very pretty blonde woman, probably a few years older than Lisa, who was looking between the two siblings with an expression that appeared to be an attempt neutral. In the other was a very small blonde toddler, her head down as she focused on coloring on her children's menu with a flimsy-looking blue crayon.

"How've you been, Lis?" Leonard asked as he and Lisa sat down, "It's been a while."

"Not too bad," she nodded. She tipped her head in Sara and Elsie's direction, "When should I ask about them."

"Straight to the point," he said with a smirk, "I like it. This is Elsie and Sara Lance."

Lisa studied Sara's face for a moment.

"I remember seeing her on the news a few years ago. She's from Star City," Lisa said, and Leonard took note of how she wasn't addressing Sara directly yet; he hadn't even told her who she was or what they were and she already had her suspicions, "Wasn't she dead."

"You'll find that with Sara, death doesn't really stick."

"Is that where you were? Star City?" Lisa asked, ignoring his attempt at humor.

"For a little bit," Leonard replied vaguely, "Also visited Oregon, Louisiana, Soviet Russia, World War II era Norway, outer-space, the headquarters of the League of Assassins — Sara's familiar with the place — the list keeps going."

"What are you talking about?" Lisa asked, shaking her head in confusion.

"You know that time travel stuff the Flash can do?" he asked. Lisa shrugged, "He's not the only one."

"Enough with the games, Lenny," Lisa said impatiently, "Tell me what's going on."

"Time traveling," Leonard said, dropping the act; he and his sister had their banter, but he knew when she had reached her limit.

"Saving the world?" Lisa asked drily.

"Sometimes."

"Sounds awfully heroic," she replied.

Leonard had to appreciate his sister's resolve. Anyone else would have wanted an explanation, they would have tried to challenge him — he had, after all, sat through enough of Sara's explanations of their mission to her family to know that time travel was not a topic many people took lightly. Not Lisa, though. She'd been through too much, seen too much, for any of this to faze her.

"Is that a problem?" Leonard retorted.

"So that's where you've been these past few months? Time traveling?"

"Try few years."

"Years?"

"Time works differently when you're bending it," he replied.

"A lot happens in years," Lisa said.

"That it does," Leonard agreed.

"Including her?" she nodded to Sara.

"Including her."

"You're…"

"Married," Leonard finished.

"And her?" Lisa gestured to Elsie, who was still completely engrossed in her coloring.

"Ours."

Lisa sat in silence for a moment.

"But that means you were gone for longer than just a few years! You were gone for — she's, what, three? Then at least four years! I can't believe you had a kid and waited so long to tell me!"

"That's because we didn't," Leonard replied, "We adopted her."

"How do you even adopt a kid when you're time traveling?"

"We were on a mission — Sara was on a mission — in Norway during World War Two. She found her and brought her back to the Waverider —"

"Waverider?"

"Time ship — the thing we use to travel through time," he replied, "Anyway, we found out that her family had been killed by the Nazi party and she would have been too if Sara hadn't found her."

"So you rescued her?" she asked, some of the irritation leaving her eyes.

"I guess you could call it that."

"That's…actually really nice," she said, both her expression and her tone softening

"Always the tone of surprise," Leonard said sarcastically.

"Can you blame me?"

Both siblings had identical smirks on their faces. Sara could definitely see the family resemblance, especially in their eyes, an identical shade of sharp ice blue. She saw more than just that, though. She also saw the same gaze that seemed to see more than just the surface. Lisa had only spared Sara a few glances, but just from that, Sara thought she had gleaned much more she should have.

"How old is she?" Lisa asked, tipping her head towards Elsie. Apparently, she was recovering from the shock of her brother's news and was now feeling the intrigue of the life she would have never expected for him.

"Three," Leonard replied, "She turns four this February."

"So I was right," Lisa replied.

"Elsie," Leonard said, raising his voice slightly to get the attention of his daughter, still preoccupied with her coloring. She looked up, smiling cheekily when she met his eyes.

"She might be the cutest kid I've ever seen," Lisa said, impressed.

"That seems to be the general consensus," Leonard replied, turning to look at Sara who nodded in agreement.

"Elsie," Sara said, leaning towards her daughter, "remember yesterday when you met Auntie Laurel?"

"Yeah," Elsie replied, her face brightening at the memory.

"Remember how she's your aunt because she's my sister?" Sara continued, and Elsie nodded, "Well, Lisa is Daddy's sister, so that means she's your aunt too."

"Really?" Elsie asked, her eyes and her smile widening, "Another one?"

"Yes," Leonard said, "another one who's inevitably going to spoil you rotten."

"That's okay!" Elsie said cheerfully.

"I'll bet it is."

"So have you done anything else on your trip back?" Lisa asked, still mostly addressing her brother.

"Well, we legally adopted her a few days ago," Leonard gestured to Elsie.

"Legally got married too," Sara reminded him.

"How did you explain the whole 1930s, Norway thing with Elsie?" Lisa asked.

"We didn't," Leonard replied, "The onboard AI fudge some documents for us. We were going to let her pick where we'd say she's from, until she said Narnia, and then Neverland, and then Atlantis."

"She finally agreed to stick with Norway when we told her that Elsa and Anna are from there too," Sara finished.

"Oh, she likes Disney?"

"You could definitely say that," Leonard replied.

Lisa leaned a bit closer to Elsie.

"Did you know that when I was a kid, your dad took me to all the newest Disney movies when they came out,"

"Really?" Elsie and Sara said at the same time. Elsie's voice was full of awe, her eyes wide. Sara had directed her words more at Leonard, a glint in her eyes and a mischievous grin on her lips.

"What?" Leonard asked defensively.

"Yeah, he took me to see loads of those movies. I remember seeing The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast…" Lisa answered Elsie, ticking off the movies on her fingers as she trailed off, "Are you happy you're adopted now? You're officially Elsie Snart—"

"Lance," Leonard interrupted, "Elsie Lance."

Lisa furrowed her eyebrows questioningly.

"The Snart name dies with me," he said, answering her confusion.

"Unless I keep my name when I get married," Lisa pointed out.

"That's not funny," Leonard said seriously.

"I dunno, I think I've gotten attached by now," she shrugged.

Leonard glared at her.

"I'm kidding, Len," she said, rolling her eyes.

"It wasn't funny," he replied. Lisa smirked at him.

* * *

The problem with taking a mid-potty-training toddler to a restaurant becomes apparent when said toddler urgently needs to be taken to the restroom every half-hour. On one such trips, Sara was left alone with Lisa for the first time.

"You don't remember this," Sara began, "but we've actually met before."

Lisa said nothing in response, but Sara saw the lack of attempt to stop her as permission enough to continue.

"It was a couple years ago for us, but probably only a few weeks for you. There was this assassin called the Pilgrim, and she was kidnapping all of our loved ones. One of the people she took was you," Sara paused again, looking for some kind of reaction. When she didn't receive one, she kept going, "We eventually rescued everyone, and you were all on the ship for a little while before you went home. Len introduced us."

Lisa hesitated before responding, a hesitation that stretched so long it almost made Sara regret saying anything at all. She was going to continue speaking, talk herself out of whatever hole she'd just dug herself, but before she could, Lisa spoke.

"I remember."

"You what?"

"I remember meeting you."

"How's that even possible? We gave you all amnesia pills. They knocked you out while we brought you home."

"Not me," Lisa shook her head, "There is no way in hell I would take any sort of drug I was given from you guys, especially not after being kidnapped. I wouldn't even take it from my brother."

"Oh," Sara replied, "I guess I don't blame you."

"I remember thinking you and my brother were dating," she said. She was staring into her half empty glass, twirling the plastic straw around the rim with her finger.

"We weren't yet, if it means anything, and you weren't alone," Sara replied, "Apparently the only people who didn't know then were Len and I."

"When did it start — you dating, I mean."

"After the idiot almost died."

"Typical," Lisa snorted, and Sara laughed along with her.

"So you really thought Len and I were dating?" Sara asked after a minute. Lisa nodded, "Why didn't you say anything?"

"I guess the same reason I pretended to not remember," she shrugged, "I was mad at him for not telling me himself. I guess there wasn't really anything for me to be mad about. Sorry."

"No, you don't have to apologize," Sara shook her head, "I probably would have felt the same way if I was in your position."

"Thanks."

"Anyway," Sara continued, "You should know it was really bothering him that we couldn't come sooner."

"Really?"

"Yeah," Sara nodded, "I think pestering would be the way to describe how he constantly asked the captain when we'd be taking a trip back here."

Sara chuckled at the memory, and that time it was Lisa who joined her. A moment later, her expression changed, becoming more serious.

"Can I ask you a question?" Lisa said tentatively.

"Sure."

"Is he a good dad?"

"I'm pretty sure you already know the answer to that."

* * *

Later, when Sara had taken Elsie on one of her dire trips to the bathroom, Lisa was given the chance to ask her brother what she really wanted to ask him.

"So you're really doing this?"

"Doing what?"

"This whole white-picket-fence, picnics-in-the-park family thing," Lisa said, leaning forward in her seat, "Are you really doing it?"

"I dunno how a fence would survive on a ship with multiple combustable people on board, and I can't remember the last time we stopped at a park, but yes, we are really doing it."

"You're really in it for the long run?"

"Yes," he repeated.

Lisa leaned back in her chair, "I'm happy for you then."

"Thank you," he nodded, "I'm happy for you too."

"For what?"

"You still seeing that Ramon character?"

"Yes," Lisa nodded.

"Good."

"You've certainly changed your outlook on the situation," Lisa said, cocking one eyebrow.

"Why not?" he shrugged, "He's the perfect combination of easy to intimidate and hard to dislike."

"I'm surprised."

"I know you think you don't deserve happiness," Leonard said, ignoring his sister's sarcasm, "because I felt the same way, but I was wrong. So are you."

"When I little you said I was never wrong."

"You aren't little anymore," he replied, "and I think we can both say we've done things that were wrong."

"So you're saying I should stop?"

"I'm saying I know you already have," Leonard said, "and I'm proud of you."

"How could you possibly know that?" Lisa asked with narrowed eyes.

"One of the perks of having an all-knowing AI on board is that I can get her to check in on you for me," he tipped his head to the side, "with a little persuading."

"Oh, so you've been keeping tabs on me?" Lisa smirked.

"Well I have to find I way to be a good brother even while I'm time-traveling, don't I?"

* * *

Later, after Sara, Leonard, and Elsie left and were on their way back to the Waverider, Elsie asked her father about something she'd been wondering for a while.

"Daddy?" she asked, "How come I didn't meet my grandpa from you?"

"You mean how come you aren't meeting my dad?" Leonard asked. He glanced in the rearview mirror to see Elsie nod, "My dad isn't exactly around anymore."

"Like my first mommy and daddy?"

"Yes, like them," he nodded.

"If your daddy was alive would I meet him?"

Leonard said nothing, seemingly unable to find the words that would satisfy both Elsie's need for an answer and his own desire to not introduce his daughter to more of the world's horrors than she already knew. When the silence had stretched long enough, Sara spoke.

"I don't think so, bear," she said, twisting in the front passenger seat to meet her daughter's eyes, "Daddy's father wasn't a very good person, so I think we'd try to stay away from him."

"Like Hitler?" Elsie asked, the moniker sounding strange in the young, innocent voice. Her statement gave rise to laughter from Sara, and even a slight chuckle from Leonard.

"Yes, like Hitler," Sara said, smiling, "Does that answer your question."

"Mmm-hmm," Elsie replied, looking out the car window. They were all silent for a few moments before she spoke again, "I'm sorry you had a not good daddy, daddy."

Leonard's expression softened.

"It's okay."

"You're a good daddy," she said.

"Thank you, Else," he replied, "That means a lot."


End file.
